Friday, May 28, 2010

This is not so much an opinion as it is a shout-out to one of the greatest pieces of sports memorabilia ever offered to the buying public. And that's not an understatement.

If you have not heard by now, the jersey that was worn by Paul Henderson when he scored what has become the most iconic goal in hockey is up for auction.

The 1972 Summit Series between the Canadians and Russians has become the stuff of legends. Anyone who is a hockey fan has seen or heard of the goal.

For those who haven't, get out from under your rock and enjoy.

You couldn't script it any better. The series was tied 3 games a piece (with a tie in the mix), the game was tied late in the third and it was a dramatic goal with an equally dramatic call.

I only wish I was alive at the time to have witnessed the fever pitch Canada was in at that moment.

Well, now you can own a piece of that moment. THAT JERSEY...THAT JERSEY is up for auction.

Described by the auction house as "the most significant artifact in the history of the game of hockey." And with the exception of the Stanley Cup itself, the claim may well be true.

Get your chequebook out though - it'll be a pricey piece of history. The starting price set for the jersey....$10,000.

Strong interest in the Henderson jersey had already driven online bidding past the $130,000 mark - that's right $130,000!!! And there's still more than three weeks of bidding ahead of the June 22 closing of the auction.

President Marc Juteau of Classic Auctions (the company auctioning off the item) has said that he expects the jersey's final price to rival the record-setting $191,000 Cdn paid earlier this year at a U.S. auction for a Bobby Orr jersey from the legendary player's 1966-67 rookie season with the Boston Bruins.

"I've known where this item has been for about the past 20 years," said Juteau, describing the owner of the Henderson jersey as a major American collector of hockey memorabilia who wishes to remain anonymous. "It took him about a year to decide whether to put it up for auction or to sell it, so it's been a slow process."

Henderson originally gave the sweater as a gift to Joe Sgro, the Toronto Maple Leafs trainer and equipment manager during the 1970s, who later sold it to a Canadian collector. The jersey was purchased by its current American owner about four years ago.

The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto possesses another Henderson jersey from the '72 series — the darker, mainly red one used in the four games played in Canada before the two all-star teams travelled to Moscow for games 5 to 8.

Who will be the lucky person to own this piece of history? What will they do with it? Lock it away? Donate it to the HHOF for all to enjoy?

How about this one....cut it up into little itty-bitty pieces and put them onto hockey cards. I've heard of people doing this sort of thing before.

What would you say if the jersey was cut up? What do you think should happen to it ultimately? How much do you think it will go for?

Well, I thought I'd share some of the oldest cards now in my collection... courtesy of the big Calgary card show a couple weeks back.

At one time I was big into building the sets from the 70's. It was fun and I really tried to get cards that were as nice as possible (without breaking the bank).

These cards though dip into the 60's. A decade that I have never before pursued. They came at a pretty good price I thought and are the first steps in my 'One Sheet, One Set' for those years.

1965/66 Topps#88 Don Simmons

This card is in gorgeous shape. It's a shame though that the card is just a head shot of Simmons. An action shot of some sort would have been awesome.

Did you know that Simmons was the second goalie (after Jacques Plante) to don the mask regularly?

Crude.....I love it!

1967/68 Topps#85 Ed Giacomin

Another fav goalie of mine. Again though, no mask. Too bad.

This card is a little off center, but still nice. And the price for a 'non-nobody'...I'll take it.

Ed had just completed his second year in the NHL and was the league leader in shutouts with 9.

1968/69 O-Pee-Chee#127 Paul Henderson

The last card is from one of my favorite sets of the 60's. Sadly, this card does not do the set justice. It is pretty bland in color and the close-up of Henderson is ho-hum at best.

The photo and layout is crooked on the card and the corners are the softest of the three. Again, I can live with it. After all, the card is over 40 years old.

The back of the card made me laugh as the 'Did You Know' fact states "Paul was born on a sleigh during a snowstorm". Awesome.

On a more serious note, Paul was to have been one of the guest signers at the Calgary show. Sadly, his doctor said no-go to flying due to his health.

He has been battling cancer (which he came public with a few months ago). I want to wish Paul all the best in his battle.

That's it for now. I picked up more cards from the late 60's and early 70's which will find their way into a post or two via my 'One Sheet, One Set', 'Cardboard Photography' and of course 'To The Bike Spokes'.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

A flashback to what was (at the time) a higher end base set. One that was one of my favorites to collect.

1994/95 Finest

This 165-card set was considered a 'super premium' set at the time. It is printed on a thicker card stock. Actually, it seems more like a 'plastic/photo paper'-type card stock. Something very different for it's time. I remember getting some of the cards and being disappointed by the protective film on the front. My first thought was to tear off the film...but I thought it would be best to keep it on should I want to trade or sell the cards.

With this set, I can now peel off the film to reveal a much more eye-catching card. I encourage all of you to try it sometime.

Anyways, let's take a closer look at the cards.

The front of the card utilizes a very appealing blue marble-type background. Unique at the time and very identifiable. The gold border holding the player photo is a nice frame for what mostly are not very exciting player photos.

Another unique aspect of the card is that only the player's last name is one the front of the card...at the top. The Topps logo and the 'Finest' moniker are placed in the background of the photo. A nice layering effect.

The card photo has a bit of an embossed look to it giving the metallic feel a little more authenticity.

The back of the card drifts quite a bit from the front. Only a small portion of the blue marble look is used. The player name at the top of the card uses a completely new font style (one that doesn't appeal to me too much), and the player position is loosely placed next to it.

Stepping back, the layout of the entire back looks a little simplistic.

The player photo on the back has no framing and is just plunked down below the player name.

More plunking as the player bio and stats are beneath the pic. Not a big fan of that layout.

The 'Finest Moment' is kind of a neat idea. I'd prefer if it was more the focal point of the back of the card as opposed to an afterthought.

The team name down the right side is ok I guess, and it seems the card number is what really gets the border treatment. Huh.

The logos to the right of the photo are just an eye-sore and I'd much rather see them at the bottom of the card (actually, I'd like to see them gone completely...but that's just me).

Not an impressive backside and it really doesn't blend well with the front of the card.

What I really liked about the set at the time was the World Junior's subset, including the big card in the release, Miikka Kiprusoff's rookie card.

Other than that card, the set can be built relatively cheap (compared to what it cost back in the day).

A decent player selection and a flashback to some names not heard from in a while make this a potentially fun build. That said, it's not a terrible set by any means, but one that really hasn't held the test of time.

Now that I have that off of my chest. I don't know at what point OPC decided that the ever popular "NOW PLAYING WITH ______" or "TRADED TO _______" was no longer applicable, but I just don't get the reasoning to re-paint a photo....badly.

With Photoshop a few years away, I can only imagine how card companies managed to perform this magical feat.

My favorite is when they paint the photo so the player is in the new colors...and then the player never dons the uniform. Beautiful. It's make the card some sort of 'error' card right?

What could be worse? Maybe a full head transplant? Stay tuned. :) :) :)

Clint, for you and all of your traded buddies from the 70's and 80's....

I've been looking for a box of this product all season. I have seen some scans of the stickers and I must say I really like the looks of them.

That, and there is a sticker in there that I needed for one of my sets. Stay tuned for that one.

Now, I wasn't able to pick up a sticker book (they had none....ooooohhhhhhh weeeee - what up wit dat? That's my Saturday Night Live plug) so my opinion on the the whole package is marred. So I will just be going with the stickers I have.

The box I got had 50 packs in it (each pack containing 5 stickers). For $30, I thought it was a great inexpensive break.

This 364 sticker set really packs a punch when it comes to variety and diversity. They put some annual card releases to shame.

There are 240 base stickers in the set and I gotta say that I really like the design of the stickers. They are larger than the stickers from when I was a kid, but slightly smaller than a regular card.

Great player selection and a nice sticker design. My one beef would be the quality (or lack thereof) of the photos used. Some are great, while others look pretty blurry.

There are 30 'Superstar' stickers...I call them the sparkly ones. They focus on the star player for each team. Cool.

What's a set without rookies. 30 rookie stickers land in this set and some of the names are pretty big. Tavares, Gustavsson, Kane, Backlund. My only beef is the coalition of stickers. I ended up with 4 copies of the Mikael Backlund. I guess it could be worse.

Some of the subset stickers in the set are the award winners. 6 trophy stickers are in the set. Decent stuff, but again, I think the photo quality is a little lacking here.

Another one of the cool subsets are the division champions. 6 cards (one for each division - duh) and a nice photo for each. I like the design of these.

The team cards look really cool. The mesh jersey background is something I've always been a sucker for. Again, one for each team and they include the numbers of the retired jerseys (hint on why I was looking for one of the stickers for my collection).

They also have some season in review stickers that really capture the big moments in the league that year. Great stuff.

Overall, a really fun break. Low cost with high results. I think it would be even more fun had I had a sticker book. I'll be on the lookout for one.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The big card show last weekend yielded a couple of 'freebie' autographs that I thought I'd share.

Hall Of Famers to boot!

This first card was in the free loot bag that they handed out on the Sunday. A nice touch from the people at Bossa who put the show on.

It's a custom Cheevers autograph card. A nice card, but a little thin on the design front. Bossa have created numerous cards for their shows in the past (I picked up a Jean Beliveau autograph a couple years ago in order to take a closer look at how the card was made).

I think that is what I like the most about this card...the quality of the card itself. Very nice card stock, a sort of matte or luster finish and very well cut.

The back of the card is nothing to write home about...but that's ok - it's the thought that counts.

The second item comes from one of the feature signers on the weekend.

Saturday was reserved for the great Phil Esposito. Still brash and opinionated, Phil seemed to be on top of his game.

I decided not to pick up an autograph as it was a $45 charge. No thanks.

Sunday was supposed to have Paul Henderson signing, but apparently he was in too poor of health to fly out...doctor's orders. He announced back in February that he had been diagnosed with cancer. It seems that the battle is a tough one. My thoughts go out to him.

The show organizers mentioned that Paul was very disappointed he could not attend and that they would (at no charge) send your item to Paul to sign and mail back to you. Class move.

In a pinch, Bossa was able to bring in Marcel Dionne. Wow! Nice replacement.

Again, signatures were $45. I wasn't really interested in getting one until they mentioned that if you purchased 3 raffle tickets for a draw to win an autographed Bobby Orr jersey, you would get a free photo to be signed by Marcel. AND...all the money was going to charity.

For $20.....sign me up!

I didn't win the jersey, but did get this...

Great stuff. Marcel was very talkative and wanted to know what was up with the Flames and some of the bonehead trades they have made recently. Awesome!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Well, this past weekend brought about the big Calgary 'Bossa' Collectibles Show. To say that I made some progress on projects would be an understatement.

It may take me a couple weeks just to show off everything I snagged from the event - which by the way was one of the best shows I have been to in years. Very well organized, great promotions and fantastic tables made it a really fun weekend.

For my first showing, I will share the pickups for my '1 vs. 100' project. It had been sitting stagnant for a few weeks. In addition to the cards I picked up, there was one item which finally found its way to me through the mail.

Here we go.

We start with a nice Turris /91. These SPGU Significant Numbers will be a huge add to the project.

Here is the card I have been waiting months for. Another STATscriptions (Laperriere /78). It got lost in the mail, returned to the original sender and then re-mailed. I'm really happy this one found its way to me and a big thanks to the person who traded with me.

One of the guest signers at the show this weekend was Phil Esposito. I managed to grab this autographed card /77 for less than the asking price of an in-person auto.

A dirt cheap Pacific parallel of Ray Ferraro /54. For a buck....nice.

Here's a weird card. A super thick patch card of Glen Murray /41. Why the card is so thick is beyond me (as is the reason for the lame single color patch). Still, it was a cheap add for a card with this low a print run.

A nice dual auto/jersey card of Hasek and Vokoun /20. Another good deal for it and a unique add to the collection.

Another real thick card....another Aebischer. This one is /5. Really happy to snag this one as I was worried that cards numbered less than 10 would break the bank a bit. Not so for a guy who is but a whisper in the hobby these days.

With 7 more cards added to the project, I'm almost at the half-way mark. Not bad for not really aggressively pursuing the collection thusfar.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Well, the second round of the playoffs are almost done (big congrats to the Canadiens...amazing stuff). My hockey pool is shot with the departure of my pick to make the finals from the West...Detroit.

This week's card highlights a great player from Wings' past - one who's career was cut too short. Thankfully, it was not his life that was cut short.

1996/97 Upper Deck#52 Vladimir Konstantinov

First, the card. I will reiterate a point I made a couple months ago. I really like this set. The photography used in some of the cards is top notch. This card is a great example of that.

A great low angle shot (how did the camera guy get onto the ice surface...cause that's what it looks like). Great framing of the player and lots of action in the background.

Normally, shots like this are reserved for the goalies. I love the fact that there is some 'outside the box' thinking going on here.

Now, some stuff on the player. Vladimir was drafted 221st overall in the 1989 draft. Did you know he was involved in the 1987 World Juniors brawl (Canada vs. Russia....the Punch Up In Piestany).

He was a rough, rugged, physical defenceman who took care of his own end. He won the 'plus/minus' award in the 1995/96 season with a +60. It was the highest total in over 20 years (since Gretzky had a +70 back in his Oilers heyday).

Sadly, Konstantinov's a name more recognized off the ice as a result of the way his career ended.

Six days after the Wings won the Stanley Cup in 1997, Vladimir (along with teammate Viacheslav Fetisov and team masseur, Sergei Mnatsakanov) were at a party. When leaving, they hired a limousine. The driver, who's license was suspended at the time for drunk driving, lost control of the limo and hit a tree.

Konstantinov spent weeks in a coma before finally pulling through. He suffered serious head injuries and paralysis and to this day has troubles walking and speaking. That said, he has improved and can be seen at numerous Wings games during the season.

It was an emotional scene one year later as the Red Wings successfully retained the Stanley Cup. Konstantinov was wheeled onto the ice, surrounded by his teammates, to celebrate the win. Throughout the playoffs the Red Wings' catchphrase was the single word, "Believe".

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Well, in response to my TTM failure last month, I have decided to get going on some more cards to send out.

One new 'FA Authentic' and a couple of special custom cards my niece and I have put together.

FA AuthenticBetty White

This card is in celebration of her SNL appearance (it's just starting as I type this) and her ump-teenth career revival - can you believe she's 88!!! Sharp as a whip too.

Cross your fingers this one comes back.

The next two cards are the first two from a set my niece and I are looking to build. She's a huge fan of the 'Twilight' series and I thought it would be neat to see if we could get some TTM signatures.

She helped come up with the layout, picked out the photos, came up with the text for the back...she even got working on the Photoshop software and was cutting out photos and such. Printing, cutout and assembly were also her forte.

Without a doubt, these cards are truly hers. She's really proud of them (as am I).

We plan on packaging them up tomorrow and mailing them out.

I'm not sure we'll see a signature on the Robert Pattinson card (he's not a reliable signer), but I think we should have good success on the Peter Facinelli card.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Something that hasn't happened to me in a couple years, but did occur a few times when Trevor Linden had a few more cards in the loop.

Seeing people hold cards hostage.

To me, getting a card to add to my personal collection is quite a thrill. But searching out and finding said card...now that's what gives me the most excitement in this hobby.

There have been times though when I have come across a store or a seller who has a bit of a rare Linden card and knows it. I gotta say, it has bothered me to know that the price of the card inflates simply due to the fact that there is interest in the card. Not by hundreds or even dozens of people, but by one or two of us Linden collectors. Budging on the price? No chance. Working out a trade? Out of the question. Engaging in conversation looking for a way not to pay triple book value on a card that should go for a fraction of the price? Now you're just insulting the guy.

I have had to bite my tongue on more than one occasion. It bugged me - a lot. I vividly remember finding a copy of Linden's first jersey card. At the time it was booking for about $100. Any other card from that set could be found for $20-$40. But the guy with the Linden wanted $175. Simply because he knew that I really wanted the card. For months I had to just sit there and hope he would one day lower the price. Even when the book value of the set was coming down, he kept that card up there.

Eventually, I just gave up on it. Years later, I finally found a copy of it on ebay. I picked it up for less than $50. Ha!

While I understand that this hobby is not necessarily a 'team sport' (I don't expect everyone to find, hold and sell me cards at a discounted rate...heck, I don't expect anyone to do that....there are just some who do - and it's very much appreciated), I think that collecting and trading cards should be fair.

Not everyone agrees I guess. I have no doubt that the greed in some people will continue to maintain an environment where cards are held hostage.

I think the bulk of collectors realize this and are now waiting it out. That's what will eventually end the undesirable trend.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

This installment of 'One Sheet, One Set' is another one of the great sets I was able to acquire in a huge trade a few weeks ago.

This set (like the last one) was an eye-catcher for me and I was really quite excited to see that I had 8 cards to fill the sheet...pretty cool that some cheap base cards can do that for a collection.

Again, it's a set that I didn't have much knowledge of at the time since Trevor Linden was not a part of it. Too bad as it could have been a cool looking card.

Here we go.

2006/07 UD Mini Jersey

When this set was released a few years ago, it really tried to be 'outside the box' (which I like). In a pack, you would receive 4 of these cards along with a mini jersey. The mini jerseys at the time were quite desirable...though now they have dwindled in price (unless you have a short print, alternate jersey or autograph).

While the jerseys themselves looked pretty cool, the first impression of this set is promising.

It's a 130 card set with 30 of those cards being RC's. Malkin leads the way in price for rookies while Crosby demands the biggest coin in the regular issue.

The front of the card has a lot of what I want nowadays in a hockey card. Good color (team issue), good texture, good photo and good layout. But let's break it down a bit more.

The photos are all full body shots (not that that's bad) and the photography is crisp. I have noticed more cards nowadays are slipping when it comes to the photos.

The layout of the bottom of the card is really quite simple. The mesh background utilized in half-ovals really come together nicely. I like the use of the drop shadows to create depth and the team colors really punch out and make this card instantly recognizable.

The text style for the player's name, team, position and number all work together nicely. I quite like the subtle difference between the player's first and last name. The only negative would be the 'registered trademark' symbol after the team name. It messes with the design in my books.

A simple UD logo in the top corner and we have the workings of a solid hockey card.

The back of the card picks up where the front left off.

I really like the mesh jersey feel here. It makes the card feel like more than just a card (if that makes any sense).

The card number is just what I'd expect. The team logo is nicely positioned. The player name is well placed and consistent.

The stats...here's the first hiccup. Only 5 season's worth. That's all you get. I don't understand why though. There's lots of room for 10-12 seasons at least. I guess you have to make room for the 'interesting tidbit'.

I like the player's number in the background of said tidbit. The info itself could be a little more interesting. Tell me something I don't know about the player.

The usual goop at the bottom of the card and it's all said and done.

Part of what I like about this card set is that it's simple. So simple that I feel like I could have designed it. Maybe that's where the extra appeal comes from.

A good player selection and a small set size makes this a potentially fun set build.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Today I received the final card in one of my favorite subsets this year.

A one of a kind concept that has really been a popular choice among collectors.

2009/10 ITG Between The PipesNet Brawlers II

Now who doesn't like goalies scrapping?

For years, card companies have steered away from cards depicting fighting. You would rarely see a Probert, McSorley, Boogaard, Schultz, whomever card showing them do what they do best.

So why the goalies?

Maybe because it's such a rarity to see two tenders drop the gloves. Maybe it's because they can sometimes put on one heck of a bout. Maybe because a card company just wants to try something different.

Whatever the case, the cards really appealed to me.

Some classics too! Hextall/Potvin.....Osgood/Roy. Definitely bring back the memories.

It's a 9-card set that doesn't use photographs, but rather an artist's painting of the fight. And ITG did a great job of using photos that hide the jersey logos (something they are not allowed to put on their cards). Innovative thinking.

Now why the Conklin/Nurminen card is tall vs. all the others is beyond me (I think it ruins the look when you have them in a 9-page sheet). The detail in the cards is really cool.

Originally released a couple years ago as a dual memorabilia 1/1 card (good luck finding one nowadays...most have been snagged up by player collectors), the demand for the cards was so great that ITG decided to put them out as a subset in this year's product.

Amongst all the mask cards I have received recently, this set stands out. A great add to the collection.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Well, I am looking over the past week's worth of posts and I must say that things were slim.

It was a pretty busy week for me. Work was an interesting one as we had some major computer issues where I work (moving to a new shared storage set-up....not smooth), we had a freak snowstorm in the middle of last week, I had an AGM for the condo corporation where I live, I am taking a course on becoming an umpire (my 12 year old niece started softball this year) and we had a 4-game 2-day tournament this weekend.

Whew! Is it Monday yet?

Hopefully this week will be a little more calm. I need to get in a round of golf. And of course, a few more blog posts!!

On Thursday, I received back an unopened envelope containing one of my 'FA Authentic' custom cards I sent out. Sadly, my first attempt at getting a TTM sig failed.

By no means does this make me want to give up sending cards out....I just have not been able to muster up the time to create, print out and package up a bunch of cards to mail out. Hopefully I can get a few in the mail before the end of the month.

With the Marc Singer card, I tried two different addresses (as I received the envelope back on April 6, sent the card out again (with a new address) and now have received it back.

Maybe down the road I will try this addy again...I do have good vibes with this one.